Make Your Move
by Cat and Fiddle
Summary: Full summary inside.... Neji x Shikamaru with mentioned Kiba x Shikamaru, Kiba x Shino, and would be Naruto x Hinata. Slightly angsty, I suppose, but not really. UPDATE! Sequal is But Don't Stop EDIT! minor changes... just some grammar stuff.


**Summary:** Shikamaru is sorely in need of a Shogi partner and Hinata wants to impress Naruto by beating Shikamaru in a game of Shogi, so she convinces Neji to teach her to play. Shikamaru discovers Neji's creditable skill in Shogi and asks for a game. Things kind of just get out of hand after that... Takes place during time gap.

**Pairings:** Neji x Shikamaru, mentions of Kiba x Shikamaru and Kiba x Shino.

**Rating:** T for kissing. Insinuations of sex but nothing about the actual acts, really.

**Author's Note:** My first Neji x Shikamaru fic! I'm so excited, since I absolutely love this pair (they are God! But... Shino x Kiba tends to be more interesting since you don't have to take them as out of character as you do Neji and Shikamaru to make them a couple). Anyway, this started out as the generic Shikamaru and Neji play a game of Shogi and make wagers that whoever wins gets to make the other do one thing and things... escalate from there, but I:

a) Couldn't write it (d'oh) and b) decided that it was too generic and I wanted to use Shogi, but in a slightly more original way. The cut out flashback can be found under the title _Kiba's Birthday Present_.

Anyhow, I think it turned out okay and not too out of character.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but I think everyone knows that no-one on Fanfiction does.

* * *

**_Make your move_**

* * *

"N-Neji-niisan..." Hinata half-whispered, pushing her fingers together and blushing. Neji paused mid-strike, wiping the sweat from his eyes before turning to face his shy relative. She blushed more, looking down at her fingers. "Ano... Neji-niisan, could you teach me to play Shogi?"

Neji raised an eyebrow, though the rest of his face remained generally apathetic. "What for?" he asked.

"W-well, Naruto-kun said that no-one could ever beat Shikamaru-san at Shogi, so..." she stammered. Neji sighed.

"So you want to beat Shikamaru to impress Naruto?" he prompted. Hinata blushed and nodded. Neji closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hinata-sama, you can't beat Shikamaru at Shogi. You could never become good enough to do it."

"Demo-! Please, Neji-niisan," Hinata exclaimed, "I know I can!"

"Hinata-sama, do you even know the objective of a game of Shogi?" Neji asked. Hinata flushed and shook her head, pressing her index fingers together again. "Exactly." He turned to leave.

"Please, Neji-niisan!" she pleaded to his retreating back. He stopped, looking up at the sky.

"If you can find a Shogi board, I'll teach you," he finally said. Hinata gave a small gasp of surprise, pleased. Neji quickly retreated from view, leaving Hinata blushing and very happy. She smiled to herself, taking a more direct route home in order to search the Hyuuga residence for a Shogi board before Neji returned.

_**- - -**_

"You... actually found a Shogi board?" Neji asked, dismayed at the dusty old Shogi board Hinata had dragged out of some old closet on the Hyuuga residence. Hinata smiled and nodded, unaware of Neji's disappointment but pleased with herself. Neji sighed, taking a seat across from Hinata, sitting cross-legged even though he was in his evening yukata. He studied the game, noting that the pieces were chipped and the board scratched. He picked up a random piece, running his fingers over the smooth surface, frowning. "This set is no good... the characters are practically worn off the pieces."

"Th-that's all right," Hinata said, determined to get her lesson, "You can still tell, right?"

"Just barely," Neji grudgingly admitted, putting the piece back down. Hinata beamed with satisfaction, ready for her lesson. Neji studied her expectant face and sighed, unable to get up and walk away. He pointed to the first piece and began an explanation of each piece and the objectives.

_**- - -**_

"I need a new Shogi partner..." Shikamaru muttered, breaking the silence he and his other cell members were enjoying as they accompanied him in his cloud gazing hobby. Chouji and Ino both sighed. Ever since Kiba had broken up with him in favor of Shino the cloud-gazing nin had done nothing but play game after game of Shogi with Asuma; even forsaking his constant of cloud gazing. Today was the first time in a long while that he had come out- and then, only because Chouji and Ino dragged him there.

"Asuma-sensei not providing enough challenge any more?" Chouji asked. Ino sighed.

"No-one could be enough of a Challenge for him," she complained. Chouji grinned.

"Mm, whatever," Shikamaru grumbled, not without his doubts of her words. Surely there was someone in some village in some country somewhere who could pose the brilliant teen a challenge, and possibly even beat him. Ino and Chouji didn't seem to think it was possible, however. Over the years it was becoming increasingly difficult not to let their praise (and not to mention the praise of most of his mentors) get to his ego. _How troublesome_.

"But if you're looking for someone new to play, Naruto's been parading around town claiming how good Hinata is at Shogi now," Chouji said, munching on a chip. Shikamaru and Ino looked at their teammate.

"Now that you mention it, I've heard him say that a few times, too," Ino added thoughtfully. Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow, mildly interested.

"Hinata?" he mumbled, turning back to his cloud friends in the late afternoon sky. "Since when was she interested in Shogi?" Chouji and Ino shrugged simultaneously. Shikamaru sighed, closing his eyes.

"I heard Neji's been teaching her," Chouji explained. This warranted Shikamaru's attention and he peered at his friend with one eye.

"Neji?" he queried, "Since when does Hyuuga Neji play Shogi?"

"Beats me," Chouji admitted, shrugging. Shikamaru switched eyes to peer at Ino. She, too, shrugged. He sighed.

"Ne, well, it's doubtful Hinata will ever muster the courage to challenge me to a game," he shrugged. Ino and Chouji laughed in agreement. Shikamaru stared at the floating clouds, wondering, however, if it was true that Hinata was good at Shogi. If Naruto was the one parading around saying it then there was little chance that it was true, given that the blonde knew next to nothing about Shogi. Still, it could mean the exact opposite and be completely true, considering it wasn't Naruto's nature to blatantly lie in such a manner...

"Damnit, so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, scowling with his eyes closed. Both his friends looked at him, but he gave no sign if he knew. They exchanged glances and shrugged.

_**- - -**_

"Oooiii! Shikamaru!" Naruto screamed across the crowded street, earning a few disdainful looks from passing pedestrians. He didn't seem to notice as he drug a blushing and nearly unconscious Hinata along, still shouting Shikamaru's name. "Shikamaru! Shikamaru, you lazy bum!"

"What!?" Shikamaru spat, annoyed that his peaceful trip to his favorite cloud gazing spot had been disrupted. Though he would deny it, his snappy disposition was also due to not playing Shogi for almost two weeks; since the time he complained to Ino and Chouji. Naruto grinned, laughing as he dragged his blushing-and-almost-unconscious Hinata with him. He let go of Hinata, capturing Shikamaru in a near deadly head-lock.

"Hinata-chan wants to challenge you to a game of Shogi!" Naruto announced, gesturing to the beat up Shogi board tucked under an arm.

"Ah, N-Naruto-kun, I-"

"I accept," Shikamaru sighed, worming out of Naruto's grip. Naruto grinned, pumping his fists.

"Yes! Hinata will definitely crush you, right Hinata?" he confirmed to Hinata. She blushed.

"I-I'll try my best," she stammered. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Naruto was so dense. He eyed the board under Naruto's arm and snatched it away, examining it carelessly.

"Oi, oi! Be careful with that, it belongs to Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, dismayed by the shadow nin's maltreatment of the item.

"Ch, do you really plan on playing with this piece of junk?" Shikamaru asked, holding it at a precarious angle. Naruto freaks out, thinking Shikamaru's hand might slip and it would be broken.

"Ano... it's the only type of board I know how to play on..." Hinata mumbled, embarrassed. Shikamaru sighed, scowling.

"How troublesome," he muttered, tucking the board under his arms and loping off, Hinata and Naruto following closely. "Playing on a beginners board, what a waste of time," he grumbled, knowing that he was about to waste his time playing with a novice. Behind him Naruto was spouting nonsense babble about how Hinata was about to kick his ass while Hinata blushed and politely denied it, saying she would do her best and could only hope. Such a hopeless case...

"White or Black?" he offered after the board is set up. Hinata takes a seat on the black side of the board, looking determined as ever.

"Black, please," she said, taking a deep breath. Shikamaru sighed, looking up to his fluffy friends in the sky, knowing exactly what Hinata was thinking at the moment; _I have to win, I have to impress Naruto-kun!_

First one move, then the next- and so the game progressed. For a while it seemed as though Hinata might win, but with one fell swoop and a well-placed pawn Shikamaru won. He sighed, folding his arms and shaking his head, disappointed in how easy it was. Hinata looked as though she were on the verge of tears. Naruto bursted.

"H-h-h-he must have cheated!" he exclaimed. "Hinata-chan was winning, there's no way you won with just one move!"

"Gomen, Naruto-kun, but Shikamaru did win," Hinata said sadly, twiddling her thumbs. Naruto sighs, making a long face.

"But how?" he whined, squinting at the pieces, as though this might help him understand. Shikamaru sighs.

"There's no way she can win if she still uses a beginners board..." Shikamaru explained, getting up. "Well, now that I've wasted my time I'm going to go home and sleep."

"It was a fluke, you hear me, a fluke! Next time she'll cream you, Shikamaru!!" Naruto shouted after him, bound and determined that he'd cheated. Hinata blushed, packing away her Shogi set. Naruto watched her for a bit, then sighed.

"I really thought you could do it," he said disappointedly, shaking his head and folding his arms over his orange jacket as he stalked off, muttering to himself. Hinata smiled weakly at his retreating back, wiping her eyes and hurriedly clicking the board shut. She rushed home to the Hyuuga estate as quickly as possible.

"Hinata-sama?" Neji asked when she ran full-on into him. He caught her before she could fall, though the Shogi board clattered to the floor, snapping half, the pieces scattering. She burst into tears, burying her face in Neji's chest. "Hinata-sama?" he repeated, hoping to elicit a response that time.

"I... I lost," she sobbed. Neji exhaled softly, stroking her hair, offering no comforting words. He'd known this would happen. Even he was hardly a match for the Nara. "Naruto-kun... Naruto-kun was so disappointed in me."

"Don't worry about him," Neji said, "He probably won't even remember it tomorrow." Hinata choked out a wry laugh between sobs. Neji led her to her room. She slipped out of his arms and grabbed a pillow to muffle her sobs so her Tou-san wouldn't hear. Neji silently shut the sliding door to her room and headed to his room, knowing someone else would take care of the Shogi set- it wasn't as if he was the one who had dropped it anyways.

_**- - -**_

Shikamaru toyed with a kunai, spinning it idly as he lay on his bed even as it was late afternoon already. He sighed, tiring of his own thoughts, which had recently begun to turn more and more often towards Shogi and who might be a formidable opponent and also lived within reasonable distance. More and more often, the only people he could think of were Hyuuga Neji and possibly Aburame Shino, though he had yet to really see the bug-boy in action. Sighing, he pocketed the kunai and exited his second-story room by the window, not wanting to bother explaining his sudden departure to his parents. He was fifteen, he should be able to leave when and why he wished. Heck, if he weren't so lazy he could have his own place- his missions earned him enough to afford a decent apartment a good ways away. He just didn't want to have to clean, cook, and pay the bills himself. Though, at times his nagging parents gave more than enough incentive to want to try.

_Ah, the trepidations of being lazy. Damnit._

He wandered his way to the Hyuuga estate, no real plans gathering in his head- much unlike the storm clouds overhead. He sighed, scowling and kicking a stone. It would be troublesome if it began to storm before he left the Hyuugas'. He hadn't thought to bring an umbrella.

He jumped the fence surrounding the Hyuuga property, not particularly caring for troublesome formalities of visits and such. He cursed silently when the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. He deftly leaped onto the roof and flattened himself against it, listening closely. There was the sound of a door sliding just beneath him. Someone spoke, but it was too soft to be audible, hinting that it was most likely Hinata.

"What? You still want me to teach you?" Neji's voice responded. Hinata's reply came, but was still too soft for Shikamaru to interpret. He heard Neji sigh and a few moments later the door closed. The sounds of a Shogi board being set up floated up to Shikamaru, who shifted his position to something a little more comfortable to where he could lie on his back and study the darkening clouds while eavesdropping. The sounds of the two Hyuugas taking their seats signaled the beginning of the game. Neji talked Hinata through the game, explaining each move and the good counters and the bad counters. Shikamaru couldn't help but notice how good Neji was; this boy had a very good grip on the idea and tactics of the game.

As expected, Hinata lost and they packed away the game which Hinata took with her. Shikamaru listened to Neji's door slide open. He frowned when it didn't close. For a few minutes he continued to lie there, scowling. Then a fat drop of icy water hit his nose, quickly followed by many more.

"You should come down before you get a cold, Nara" the Hyuuga said calmly. Shikamaru sighed, flipping over the edge of the roof. He folded his arms and scowled at the older ninja. Neji shrugged, flipping his loose hair over a shoulder

"Don't tell me you thought I didn't notice." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and Neji chuckled. "Anything in particular you want?"

Shikamaru thought for a moment. "Yeah, a game of Shogi."

"Fine, but Hinata-sama took the board," Neji answered, gesturing to the direction which Hinata left.

"I know that," Shikamaru scoffed, moving his hands to his hips. "I have a better Shogi board at my house, anyways." Neji nodded and Shikamaru led the way to his house. Shikamaru muttered under his breath, not bothering to run since he was going to get just as wet anyways. If Neji minded he didn't say anything. Apparently the Hyuugas didn't own umbrellas, or Neji surely would have brought one.

Shikamaru seemed to hesitate at his front door and Neji watched curiously as the teen seemed to fight with himself before entering his own house. Immediately Shikamaru stiffened, ready for his Mother's incessant yelling at his sudden disappearance; an act that had been occurring more and more often as of late. When silence greeted him from within the house, he visibly relaxed, even daring a sigh.

"Not home," he announced, sounding somewhat relieved. He glanced at Neji, still standing pitifully out in the pouring rain. He beckoned the Hyuuga in, quickly closing the door behind him. "My parents, I mean," he explained, shedding his dripping shirt as he led Neji upstairs to his room. Neji dutifully studied the walls of Shikamaru's room as the younger teen stripped to his boxers, tossing the wet clothes into one of two piles; the infamous clean clothes and dirty clothes piles that marked most teens rooms unless they were complete slobs, in which case the clothes weren't even separated into piles but lay strewn across the floor of their room (Naruto was a perfect example of such behavior, Kiba following closely in suit). Shikamaru grabbed the Shogi board and began setting it up on his bed, brushing aside the few books and weaponry that rested on the bed first. Neji hesitated before shedding his sodden jacket, but leaving his damp shirt and dripping pants on. Shikamaru eyed him, either unaware or uncaring for the older teen's discomfort.

"Black or White?" he queried, allowing Neji to answer. Neji shrugged. "All right, then I'll be black."

Neji took a seat across from Shikamaru on the boy's bed and studied the Shogi board, trying not to be too obviously impressed. It was one of the nicest Shogi boards he had probably ever seen; or ever would, for that matter. He blinked a few times, reaching back and pulling his wet hair off of his neck, draping over a shoulder, ignoring the fact that it was dripping down the front of his shirt. Shikamaru eyed the sight, watching the steady drip as Neji decided on his first move.

"Neji, would you like a towel?" he finally asked. Neji looked up, pausing with his piece in the air.

"Yes," he finally answered. Shikamaru got up and padded downstairs and came back with a clean white towel. Neji finished the move and gladly took the towel, untying his hair and toweling it dry. Shikamaru watched for a moment, then busied himself with the Shogi game, quickly deciding his move. Neji loosely wrapped the towel around his hair and made his move.

Nearly an hour later, Shikamaru frowned deeply, forming a rectangle with his hands and closing his eyes. Neji watched curiously. He'd seen Shikamaru do this a few times before during the Chuunin exams and on later missions. After a few minutes Shikamaru grinned and made his move. Neji frowned, a little put-off by Shikamaru's well-planned counter.

Just as the game was looking as though it could be nothing other than a tie, Shikamaru spoke up.

"You're a pretty decent Shogi player," he said, locking eyes with Neji. Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he responded. Shikamaru shrugged, folding his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, but don't get too cocky- I'm still going to beat you," he said confidently. Neji frownrf.

"But it appears to be a tie," he pointrf out, gesturing to the board. Shikamaru shrugged.

"You are putting yourself at a disadvantage by underestimating me," he warned. "Your move."

"I'll keep that in mind," Neji growled, put off by Shikamaru's complacency, "The odds are even at the moment, however."

"Hmm" Shikamaru hummed. Neji smirked in that arrogant Hyuuga way of his that he never did quite get rid of.

"Good; I want you confident," he said, earning a quizzical look from Shikamaru. His smirk deepened, "That way you will have to shamefully take back all those arrogant claims when I crush you." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, muttering something about troublesome Hyuugas.

"There's no guarantee that you'll win," Shikamaru reminded the older nin. Neji shrugged equally complacent. Shikamaru scowled, wondering what the shinobi had up his sleeve as he made his move.

"It's your move, Shikamaru-_kun_(1)," Neji reminded him, emphasizing his superiority.

"Ch," Shikamaru answered, pushing a pawn.

Neji frowned, folding his arms over his chest. He grimaced at how wet his shirt was. Shikamaru opened a lazy eye and smirked.

"Better be careful, Hyuuga, you'll catch a cold," he drawled. Neji gave him a look and moved a knight, putting Shikamaru in check. Shikamaru feigned defeat. Neji's eyebrow twitched.

"Are you going to do anything about it, or continue being melodramatic?" he bit out, glaring at the Nara boy who was acting for all the world less than half his IQ. Shikamaru stopped his mimicry and grinned sadistically.

"Awe, poor little Hyuuga's nerves are getting tired from all the stress," he cooed, enjoying himself. He leaned across the board, closer to the angry Neji. "Would you like me to end the game quickly so as to end your suffering?"

"Make your move, Nara," Neji retorted vehemently, fully aware than Shikamaru had no winning move that round. The younger nin frowned, but made his move. He placed his elbows on the board, causing it to tip slightly. Neji hissed, slamming his palms on the other side to even it before the pieces slid too far.

"What's the idea, Nara?" he growled, glowering. "Afraid you're going to lose, is that it? You trying to sabotage the game before I can be the first to beat you at Shogi since you were little?"

"No," Shikamaru denied, batting his eyes innocently up at the Hyuuga, whose towel had fallen from his hair, letting the almost dry locks spill over his shoulders. Neji glared down at him, features tied up in a fierce scowl. Shikamaru smiled up at him sweetly, noting how pale Neji's eyes were. Some people called in unnatural and shied away, but to him they were reminiscent of clouds. Unconsciously, his smile softened. Neji quirked an eyebrow.

"Like my eyes, do you, Nara?" he beleaguered the gazing boy, "Like clouds, right?" Shikamaru scowled as the older nin leaned closer until their foreheads nearly touched.

"Ch- as if. Keep dreaming, Hyuuga," he retaliated, pulling away from the almost-contact and looking away out the window at the pouring rain, determinedly. "Your eyes are quite dull compared to the clouds- not even second rate." _Though maybe not so much right now..._ his mind tagged on after studying the putrid gray-black of the storming clouds the sky presented him with. He dared a glance at the glowering Hyuuga and couldn't conceal a smirk. That had certainly hit a nerve. Apparently the Hyuuga was quite proud of his eyes, or at least the Byakugan power they gave him.

"Oh, really?" the older boy hissed. Shikamaru considered him a moment before shrugging noncommittally, returning to the angry black clouds drenching Konoha in sheets of icy rain. Issuing a small sound of displeasure, the Hyuuga grabbed Shikamaru by his ponytail- since there was no shirt collar to snatch- and jerked the boy closer, pushing their foreheads together and forcing Shikamaru to stare into his eyes. "Don't be an ass to me just because Kiba dumped you."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, then narrowed with obvious malice. "How did you know?"

"News travels far and fast," Neji spat, shifting so he was standing on his knees, forcing Shikamaru to look up at him. Neither boy cared that the Shogi board had long since been jostled and jarred until the pieces were far from their previous positions. Shikamaru scowled.

"Troublesome," he muttered, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Why shouldn't I be an ass to you, Hyuuga-sama?" he asked, sneering, "You're eyes truly are second-rate."

"They are not!" Neji barked, jerking Shikamaru's ponytail more. Shikamaru grimaced, but made no other display of his discomfort- he merely smirked.

"Oh, yes, they are," he purred, enjoying the wrath in Neji's eyes. "In fact, they're not the only thing about you that's second-rate-" this elicited a soft, but feral growl from Neji, "- but so are your skills as a Shogi player, among other things."

"What are you insinuating, Nara?" Neji asked, eyes narrowing, as he searched Shikamaru's eyes for some answer. Shikamaru grinned.

"Only that, after being taught the rules, Kiba was a much better Shogi player than you. You're merely a second-rate Shogi player, too," he drawled past a half-lidded gaze, "Neji-_kun_(2)."

"I am not second-ate to a lousy mutt-lover like the Inuzuka," Neji hissed dangerously. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Then how's third-rate?" he suggested, the glimmer in his eyes flaring, "It does seem more fitting..."

"I am in no way second-rate, third-rate, or any other-rate against the Inuzuka boy," Neji spat, somewhat more calmly as he reigned himself in at last, vaguely remembering his stately Hyuuga manners. Shikamaru smirked again.

"Of course not in any way," Shikamaru whispered, a tinge of something in his voice, "but rather in _all_ ways."

"Fine, if you must think me second-rate to the Inuzuka in Shogi so be it, but I will not be second-rate to him in this way!" Neji snarled, his lips crashing into the Nara's with painful force. The Shogi board clattered to the floor as the two tussled. When Neji broke for air, he had Shikamaru pinned to the bed. They glared at each other in the near-darkness, both breathing heavily. Shikamaru reached up and ghosts his fingers through Neji's hair. Neji's eyes drifted closed and he slowly leaned in for another kiss. Millimeters away, Shikamaru's hand suddenly grasped a handful of hair and tugged painfully hard. Neji gave a sharp cry of mingled surprise and pain before their lips crashed together, this time Shikamaru controlling the bruising collision.

"No, Hyuuga," he smirked, releasing the hair and cupping a hand to the base of the Hyuuga's pale throat, forcing the older boy away with the pressure. "You are most definitely second rate."

Neji grimaced, putting a hand on Shikamaru's wrist. "Damnit, Nara! Get over him and move on, will you? You can't live your life on Shogi and insulting people! It's been a month-and-a-half already!" Shikamaru winced, squirming beneath Neji, but the hand on Neji's neck loosened a little. Neji stared down at the Nara boy, and the Nara boy looked away, uncomfortable. A stifling silence settled. Slowly, Neji leaned down, ignoring the slight, but un-hindering pressure on his neck, and brushed his bruised lips against Shikamaru's own bruised lips.

No reaction.

Removing the hand from his neck, Neji tried again and Shikamaru squirmed. On the third try, Shikamaru returned the kiss with much force and need, wrapping his arms desperately around Neji.

_**- - -**_

"You owe me, Neji," Shikamaru muttered, folding his arms behind his head as he gazed up at the nearly cloudless sky. Neji gave him a quizzical look.

"What for?" he asked, interrupting their stroll to politely converse with a fellow Hyuuga. Shikamaru waited quietly, if not a little restlessly.

"I lost two of my Shogi pieces," he mumbled when they continued on their way. "They're expensive and my parents are getting on my case for it- they say they won't replace them for me. Since it's you're fault I lost them, you should replace them. The Hyuugas are rich, right?"

Neji chuckled. "My access to funds are restricted, but I'll see what I can do."

Shikamaru sighed and turned his face skyward, smiling. Neji had thoughtfully given him a few days peace to think over what had happened that night. Today, he invited him to go out and Shikamaru had suggested cloud-gazing; an activity he sorely missed. Neji agreed and here they were, making their way to Shikamaru's favorite spot. Neji wasn't so bad if you overlooked the haughty, self-assured, innate Hyuuga arrogance in him. The man could be quite considerate if it suited him.

Needless to say, Shikamaru had thought a lot about what happened that night after their Shogi-game-turned-violent and what it entailed for the then and the future. He sighed, the corners of his mouth tugging down in a slight frown.

It had been a good night, very good- in a pleasurable sense. Neji was good. Very good. The Hyuuga had been right in his confidence that he was not second-rate to Kiba, which led the Nara to wonder how Neji came to be that good...

He cracked an eye to peer at the Hyuuga, who seemed to be busy in his own thoughts as well.

Even so, there was no way he would ever concede to tell Neji that he was better than Kiba in bed. Or that the idea of Kiba being even decent at Shogi was a laugh- completely false. Why feed Neji's already over-blown ego?

Neji noticed the Nara's bemused smile and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Penny for your thoughts, Nara?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nothing. Neji."

* * *

(1) Neji is emphasizing his seniority by using the honorific '-kun' which is generally used for males younger than you (and also for a close friend or guy you like... giving it a nice double meaning.)

(2) Intended to mean Shikamaru is now using the same honorific as Neji previously used to imply that Neji is inferior in Shogi and that he (Shikamaru) is therefore much more skilled than Neji... don't know if that it a way it could be taken, though.


End file.
